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swell
[swel]
verb (used without object)
to grow in bulk, as by the absorption of moisture or the processes of growth.
Antonyms: contractPathology., to increase abnormally in size, as by inflation, distention, accumulation of fluids, or the like.
Her ankles swelled from standing.
to rise in waves, as the sea.
to well up, as a spring or as tears.
to bulge out, as a sail or the middle of a cask.
Synonyms: protrudeto grow in amount, degree, force, etc.
to increase gradually in volume or intensity, as sound.
The music swelled.
to arise and grow within one, as a feeling or emotion.
to become puffed up with pride.
verb (used with object)
to cause to grow in bulk.
to cause to increase gradually in loudness.
to swell a musical tone.
to cause (a thing) to bulge out or be protuberant.
to increase in amount, degree, force, etc.
to affect with a strong, expansive emotion.
to puff up with pride.
noun
the act of swelling or the condition of being swollen.
inflation or distention.
Synonyms: swellinga protuberant part.
Synonyms: bulgea wave, especially when long and unbroken, or a series of such waves.
Synonyms: billowa gradually rising elevation of the land.
an increase in amount, degree, force, etc.
a gradual increase in loudness of sound.
Music.
a gradual increase (crescendo) followed by a gradual decrease (diminuendo) in loudness or force of musical sound.
the sign (< >) for indicating this.
a device, as in an organ, by which the loudness of tones may be varied.
a swelling of emotion within one.
Slang.
a fashionably dressed person; dandy.
a socially prominent person.
swell
/ swɛl /
verb
to grow or cause to grow in size, esp as a result of internal pressure Compare contract contract
to expand or cause to expand at a particular point or above the surrounding level; protrude
to grow or cause to grow in size, amount, intensity, or degree
the party is swelling with new recruits
to puff or be puffed up with pride or another emotion
(intr) (of seas or lakes) to rise in waves
(intr) to well up or overflow
(tr) to make (a musical phrase) increase gradually in volume and then diminish
noun
the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
a succession of waves or a single large wave
a swelling or being swollen; expansion
an increase in quantity or degree; inflation
a bulge; protuberance
a gentle hill
informal, a person very fashionably dressed
informal, a man of high social or political standing
music a crescendo followed by an immediate diminuendo
Also called: swell organ. music
adjective
informal, stylish or grand
slang, excellent; first-class
Other Word Forms
- reswell verb
- underswell noun
- unswelled adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of swell1
Word History and Origins
Origin of swell1
Example Sentences
In Asia, the flu has made an early comeback, and quickly swelled to epidemic proportions in Japan and Taiwan.
Her five-year-old son, Billy Wray, had six large bites on his right leg, which became "incredibly swollen" and caused him to feel sick.
When goons broke up an independent labor rally, he reports, a naval intelligence officer enthused to the gangster boss Meyer Lansky, “Gee, you did a swell job.”
The volume of oil at sea swelled by about 3.4 million barrels a day in September, the greatest increase since the pandemic, according to the International Energy Agency.
But a few universities used the occasion to push back against the idea that schools’ coffers were swollen or that they weren’t focused on affordability or work critical to the U.S.
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